THE SCENE -- The Ladies Who Lunch on Fine China / A tour of Bowles porcelain collection happened after the salmon

PAT STEGER

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, April 1, 1998

What a good idea: Nan Cook had a luncheon last week at the Palace of the Legion of Honor for Connie Bowles Peabody. Nan had talked Connie into giving a tour of the Bowles Porcelain Gallery established by her and her late first husband, Henry Bowles. When shy, reserved Connie agreed to do it, Nan sent out the invitations. No one refused. So Nan moved the lunch from the cafe to the private dining room.

After delicious salmon, everyone floated to the gallery filled with the Bowleses' collection of 17th and 18th century porcelain for the tour. Among the tourists: Connie Goodyear, who had just returned from the other Legion of Honor in Paris.

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"Dodie looked divine," said Boaz Mazor altruistically. She was wearing Galliano, and Boaz works for Oscar. But he doesn't hold grudges. He's volunteered to help Dodie with a music festival in Aix-en-Provence in July.

There will be a Celine fashion show at the Spinsters' annual mother-daughter lunch April 18 at the Clift Hotel, where the women checked out the menu the other day. They loved the art deco look of the hotel's Redwood Room. Decorator Philippe Starck will remodel the hotel but supposedly will not touch the Redwood Room: "We'll picket if he does," said Coco Prahl.

The Spinsters will hold their charity ball ($55 a person) Saturday at the Merchant's Exchange. The evening will benefit A Home Away From Homelessness, and Catherine Adams-Simmons and Patrice Easley are chairwomen. Among the restaurants participating are Lulu, Harris', Allegro and Kansai. Catherine will be there with her fiance, John Lawson. Fredericka Drum is president of the Spinsters.

Hotelier Ian Schrager has just bought the old Miramar in Montecito, so Starck, who is usually Ian's decorator, may tackle that job first. Starck did the Mondrian in Los Angeles, among others, for Ian . . . Architect Mark Hornberger is in charge of the renovation and restoration of the grand old Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. When he's finished, it will be grand again.

Macy's 52nd flower show, the Spirit of Hawaii, will be unveiled this weekend. The windows will be filled with orchids, gardenias and other tropical flowers. Among those filling Macy's Cellar with delicious aromas: Hawaiian chef Sam Choy, author of "The Choy of Cooking," and Oliver Altherr, chef of Hoku's (Honolulu's top-rated restaurant) at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Oahu. Oliver's specialties include a fallen souffle dessert. His falls on purpose; just think of all the times we never knew we got it right when ours fell.

Looking good, looking good: Melissa Badger and Kim Selby are chairwomen of the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula's 11th annual fashion show, which will be presented at lunch ($75 a person) and dinner ($135) Friday. The name of the show is Going Places, and when they get a theme, they mean it: The show will be at the new Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos . . . San Francisco Junior Leaguer and model Kristen Routh recently played a small role on Don Johnson's "Nash Bridges." And did you hear about that TV/radio reporter who was tossed off the "Bridges" set the other day? He kept trying to interview the actors who were busy working . . . Decorator Orlando Diaz-Azcuy also made his debut this month as a model -- in carpet ads for trade magazines. It's a start.